Overshadowing Padders
by IssaLee
Summary: Sirius and James have always been the more successful of the marauders. So when Remus takes the spotlight for a while, how will Sirius take it? Slash...
1. Drunken Marauders

Thank you to Captain Oz for allowing me to use the names for Remus and Sirius. I still believe Padders is the best name in the history of Harry Potter!

Disclaimer: 

I've written a bit of a rhyme

To waste a bit of your time

Just to say one more time

That this fic is not mine.

They were drunk.

Completely, utterly, positively, absolutely, and totally drunk.

"You guys? I think we're drunk."

James Potter pushed his hair from his face and took a swig from the bottle of _very_ illicit Firewhiskey they'd snuck in from Hogsmeade the other weekend.

"No, you think, Wormtail?" He said sarcastically. James was lying on a couch in the Gryffindor common rooms, legs swung over the arm. Peter Pettigrew was curled up in a chair, hugging another bottle of the drink to his body. James and Sirius were both topless, as they had snuck down from their dormitories.

"No!" Sirius Black, who was sprawled on the floor, gave a sudden exclamation. "We're not just drunk—we're seriously drunk!"

There was a long, drawn out pause, before a dry voice answered.

"I applaud you, Padfoot. You've managed to embarrass yourself beyond the standard I expected you to." Remus Lupin was reading (or at least, trying to read) a book in the corner of the common room, and at the same time attempting to ignore his friends.

Sirius overlooked him. "D'you get it, Prongs? Seriously, Siriusly?" James suddenly burst into laughter.

"Oh! I get it!" He wheezed. "That's hifanious—hidadiou—funny, Padfoot!"

Sirius cradled the bottle in his hands, almost as one would a baby. "Oh, I am funny, Prongs. You haven't even seen me yet!" He collapsed in a fit of laughter, before righting himself.

"That was my impression of that slimy Slytherin toad, Jackson. He thinks he's all that, and that no one's seen him yet."

There was a moment of silence, in which James pondered this comment, before he took a thoughtful sip of the Firewhiskey. "D'you think," he said slowly. "D'you think Judson's—you know—invisible?"

There was another pause, before the three began to snicker uncontrollably. Remus gave another loud sigh, and Sirius rolled over on his stomach. He wobbled to his feet, and shuffled over to Remus, before plopping down on the chair next to him.

"C'mon, Rem, you've got to have some." Sirius slurred, so it came out sounding like, "C'mon, Rem, youshe gotsh to have schome!"

Remus stiffened, and tried to push his friend away. "Get off, Padfoot. You know we're not supposed to be drinking Firewhiskey, never mind getting drunk!"

Sirius blinked slowly. "But—but thash not too bad, ish it? Itsh eshential for ush, Remush. Drinksh are good!"

Remus opened his mouth to object, but ended up having a coughing fit as Sirius poured some of the drink down his throat.

"What the hell!" Remus gasped. "Sirius, you can't force me to drink!" He had fallen of the chair, and now as he scrambled to his feet, the Firewhiskey began to take effect. Remus managed to stumble onto the couch before collapsing totally.

James made way and patted his head awkwardly with one hand. "There, there, Moony. You get used to it, eventually. Here, have some of mine!"

Even half-drunk, Remus knew the art of abstinence. "No, no—hiccup! It's ok, James, I don't need any."

"Nonsense!" James proclaimed happily, and popped the bottle into Remus' mouth. The werewolf had to drink it; in his already foggy state of mind, he couldn't think of spitting it out.

The bottle was half-done before James pulled it out. Remus fell back onto the cushions and smiled slightly.

"Hey, thash not sho bad!"

Sirius stumbled over once more, sloshing most of his Firewhiskey on the ground, before he landed back on the floor.

"Guys?" James looked at his best friends.

"Yeah?" Sirius looked back. Peter had fallen asleep a while ago, as he did every time he drank. Remus didn't bother answering, and instead settled for letting his head loll back and forth.

"Why doesn't—why doesn't—why don't—why does Evans hate me?" James pulled at his hair and wiped the bottle off.

"Dunno…" Sirius found the ceiling very interesting at this point. It had…stones, and little…lines.

Remus giggled, and the two boys stared at him. "Maybe itsh cause you alwaysh ushed to teash her. She wouldn't like thatsh! And you're annoying, Prongsh, when you want to be."

James pushed himself up and glared as best as he could at Remus. "You're mean when you're drunk, Moony."

Each boy was affected in his own way when drunk. James had mastered the art of speaking properly, so if they were caught, he would talk their way out, although in his state he would spill about any secret.

Sirius basically slurred his speech to the point where it was hard to understand, and he managed to become very emotional at times. Peter merely stayed in a drunken stupor for a while before falling asleep.

Remus was a strange case. His walls were let down when he was drunk, and all his conservative ways flew out of the window. He would do just about anything when drunk; thus, his fight to avoid drinking.

"You can't be mean…when you're drunk. I can be mean—when I'm not." Remus squinted, then turned to talk to Sirius. He realized his mistake as soon as he began to fall, but by then it was too late.

"Hello, Padders."

Sirius blinked blearily at Remus, who had fallen on top of him. "Hello, Remmie. Wassup?"

Remus shrugged. "Dunno—wait. James says I'm mean when I'm drunk. Is that true?"

Sirius shook his head, with some difficulty. "No, no, no, Remmie. You're just…painfilly—paintully—really honest."

"Ah." Remus managed to smile before his head fell in on Sirius's shoulder, and he began to snore gently. Sirius tried to glower at him, but it didn't work.

"Prongs? Jamesie, Moony's fallen asleep on me…" Sirius trailed off as James' arm flopped over the side of the couch, and he realized that everyone was asleep. Grunting, Sirius pushed Remus to the side, but the werewolf cuddled closer.

Sirius wrinkled his nose, but let it go. "G'night, Moony…" He fell asleep rather quickly, Firewhiskey still clutched in one hand.

* * *

Remus awoke to a pounding headache, and a very sticky and wet sensation on his back. His pillow was moving, too, but he couldn't be bothered about that. Oh, and someone was holding him around his waist, but that could be attended to later. 

Remus blinked once.

Then twice.

Third time's the charm!

Slowly, the brown-haired boy turned over, to find himself staring at a shaggy haired beast. Remus barely stifled a shriek before he realized that it was just Sirius, with his hair swept over his face.

Wait…

But that would mean…

Remus found Sirius's arms with his eyes, and traced them slowly. Yes, they were the arms around his waist. And Sirius'…chest, was his moving pillow.

Remus was surprised to find he wasn't panicking. He was basically hugging another guy…and he wasn't bothered in the least. This disturbed him—but only slightly.

"Like my face, Moony?"

Remus jumped, before he realized Sirius was smiling groggily at him. "What was that about, Padfoot?" He snapped.

Sirius shrugged. "You were staring. Sleep well?"

Remus nodded nervously, wondering if Sirius noticed their position yet. If he had, the raven-haired boy didn't say a word about it. Instead, he blew a puff of hair from his face and grinned broadly.

"You're not mean when you're drunk, by the way. It's more like you're…funny. I wonder what James'll be like when he wakes up."

Remus blushed as he remembered the events from last night. "Well you two shouldn't have poured all that down my throat!"

Sirius winked sleepily. "Yeah, but if I remember, when James did so, you decided to drink it all, not spit it out."

"…Shut up, you great big brute."

Sirius laughed, and removed his arms from Remus so as to sit up. Remus felt cold instantly, but he suppressed that feeling and sat up with him, just as James and Peter awoke.

"What time is it?" James asked unsteadily. "Is it time for classes?"

Remus glanced outside the window, and found that the sun had just risen. "No, Prongs, it's just fine. No one's come down yet, so I can assume no one's seen your wasted bodies."

"May I remind you that you were also wasted, Moony?" Sirius tickled Remus' nose with a stray hair.

"Shut up." He said bitterly, and stood shakily. He glared down at his feet, which were wobbling dangerously. "Traitors…move!"

Sirius let out a bark-like laugh, before standing and stretching. "C'mon, you guys. We'd better get dressed and ready for classes." Without another word, he walked off to the dorms.

James collapsed back onto the couch and groaned. "Stupid Padfoot and his stupid immunity to stupid hangovers…"

Peter ran over to a window with surprising agility for one so round, leaned over and began to retch.

Remus and James both turned an unsightly shade of green.

"You know, I think I'll join Wormtail…" James held a hand over his stomach as he rushed to another window. Remus only had to hear the first few splatters against the wall before he followed suit.

What a perfect beginning to a perfect day.


	2. Crazy Marauders

Thank you Captain Oz, RemusLupinRocks, and escptheshdw835. I had to go back like a hundred times for that last name, and I'm still not sure I got it right.

Right. Well. I'm not sure how long this'll be, but I'm thinking a four-parter? Review and tell me if you want more.

Disclaimer:

No, I'm not a mime.

I simply don't have time

To say this is not mine.

* * *

Remus really hated his mind. 

It was useful during Arithmancy, when Professor Calista was trying to drill particularly hard problems into their head, and while the other boys in the class admired her ass—ets, he would raise his hand and be rewarded with a huge smile.

It was useful when they had to explain to Professor Obelix why they weren't using the bats wings to make love potions to create chaos in the Slytherin house, but rather, for poor, lovesick James. ("I resent that!" he had proclaimed fiercely)

But it wasn't useful when all it did was feed him images of a tan, rough face surrounded by long, jet-black hair, or a smooth, also tanned chest.

"Where the—bloody hell, I know I put it here!" Remus leaned over his trunk to the verge of falling. He was going mad, he was sure.

During Charms, he'd called Alyssa Short by Sirius' name, and when he had fallen asleep during History of Magic (It seems only Hermione is immune to the lectures after all) he had woken up to find himself tonguing his sleeve.

But the last straw was when he and the other Marauders had been walking down to the Great Hall for lunch, and they had been intercepted by Vasilios Jackson, the Draco Malfoy of his time.

"Going somewhere?" He spat at their feet. Behind him hovered his personal bodyguard, whose name has no importance in this fic (A/N: Ok, so I was too lazy to get one. Go figure) so we shall call him Rock, last name, Solid.

James whimpered, but his friends knew it was faked. "Yes, sir, Mr. Jackson, sir. We were just going to go find you."

"Why's that?" Jackson peered at him suspiciously. He was so intent on making sure James didn't try anything, he hadn't noticed Sirius making flicking motions with his wand and mumbling underneath his breath.

"Don't you know?" James pretended to look genuinely shocked. "It's suck up time! And you're the best suck up there is, so—why don't you start?"

Jackson glared at him and snapped his fingers. Rock growled and moved forward, just as Sirius suddenly jerked his wand up.

Jackson's head swelled rapidly to the size of a balloon, then a watermelon, and it would have gone on had a small crack not appeared at the top. It caved in, and there was a loud banging noise.

"What the—what did you do to me?" He cried, feeling his head. In a moment, though, he was floating away.

"ROCK! ROCK, HELP ME!" He shrieked, as his head began to attach itself with a squelching noise to the stone ceiling.

His bodyguard made a snorting noise, not unlike a bull, and glanced at the Marauders before removing his wand. He waved it about a few times before pointing it at Jackson. Unfortunately, it seemed like the wrong thing to do, as Jackson's body swelled to the point where it greatly rivaled his head, then turned purple.

Meanwhile, the Marauders were currently suffocating from lack of air due to how hard they were laughing. Even Remus was doubled over. That is, until Peter became unbalanced and tripped over his own feet, causing them all to topple over each other.

Remus once more found himself staring into Sirius' eyes, but then his eyes moved to the lips…and his head started moving up…

"Run! McGonagall's coming!"

Sirius had pushed himself off of Remus and jumped to his feet, stopping only to help him up before the Marauders split up.

So that was how Remus got to his dorm, rummaging in the corner of his trunk for some previously forgotten item.

"Aha! I've found it!" he stood up triumphantly, holding a small book bearing the title So You Want To Erase Certain Parts Of Your Memory? By Edgar Newt.

"Mr. Newt, I love you!" Remus did a little mental jig. His problems were finally over. He glanced around the room, and realized no one was there yet. It was still lunchtime, though…

"Oh, what the hell." Remus ran over to his bed and began to jump furiously on it. After a while, he decided to try back-flips and front-flips and twists and turns. He was halfway trough executing a very complicated double back flip when the door shot open and a blur rushed into the room, jumped onto the bed, grabbed him around the waist, jumped into his still open trunk, and closed the lid.

All that in one fluid motion.

Remus only came to his senses when the trunk was locked and he realized his captor was hugging him close. He opened his mouth to let out a scream, but the figure covered his mouth with a hand. Stray hairs tickled his ears as the figure leaned down.

"Shh, Remmie, it's only me."

"Sirius?" Half frantic, half-relieved, Remus turned and squinted slowly at his best friend. "What's going on? You almost killed me!"

Even in the dark, Remus could tell Sirius was smiling. "Nothing big…"

"But?" Prompted Remus.

"Maybe I poured a bit of some potion I'd nicked from the Potions cabinet…and poured it all into Evans' drink…"

"So?" Remus couldn't see how it affected Sirius.

"Well, she turned into a frog, and she can't be turned back until she kisses James, and means it. Evans went berserk, but James went even crazier. I'd thought he'd be happy, but no, he starts carrying on about how she might never kiss him, and she'd stay a frog forever! So I hexed him and ran."

Remus couldn't repress the snort of laughter, and as Sirius blinked at him, it became a fully-fledged laugh attack. He couldn't stop, even when they heard footsteps on the stairs.

"Hey—er, Rem, can you stop? Remus, c'mon, please!"

Remus pushed his friends' hands away and kept it up, as Sirius scrambled frantically for an escape.

"**SIRIUS BLACK, I KEEL YOU! I KEEL YOU NOW!**"

Sirius blanched, and looked towards Remus, who, if possible, was cackling harder still. And now that Sirius' hands were preoccupied (being held down) he didn't have anything he could work with.

Abruptly, a small light went off in his head. Sirius frowned on it with some uncertainty. He was a seventh year, damn it! He could think of some other way!

There was a loud whooshing noise, followed by a bang, which was the unmistakable sound of a door being blown off its hinges. Sirius wasted no time in turning around and covering Remus' mouth his only available appendage.

His mouth.


	3. Confused Marauders

Hi there! Ok, I'm v. v. sorry for not updating sooner…but I had very awful writers block…you know what, next time, I think I'll just make a list of excuses and you can pick one.

Escpthheshdw835: You know, I didn't know you had to type in your e-mail address to sign in, so I made a really easy one instead of the one I wanted. It had something to do with Neurotics and Insomniacs, I remember that.

BluesideRemy: Yes, I enjoyed the "keel" part too. I only put it there, actually, because my friend was screaming it in my ear. She misplaced her earrings and had the audacity to suggest I took it! But on the bright side…what d'you think of these hoops in my ears, eh? 

Thoughts without a purpose: I fell in love with your SN over the weekend. It's so mysterious… **shivers**

Angelofplottwists: Thank you! And dear, dear Angel, you will be able to sense my plot twist coming soon, now won't you? (Actually, I still don't know what it is. But it's coming…it is!)

Captain Oz: Well, here's the update. And much, much weirdness. And something in the last chapter has to do with the overshadowing. (Evil grin) I think you're going to like/hate this chapter, it did that to me. 

RemusLupinRocks: Well. I wrote!

SpeechBubble: Yeah, I think it's great too.

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me but Sirius. No, siriusly. Ok, I'm sorry, I really wanted to put that in, but siriusly…seriously, nothing belongs to me.

* * *

Remus took a moment to register what was going on, and even then, his brain still had trouble believing what was happening. 

Sirius was kissing—him! Kissing him! (Or covering his mouth, same difference.)

In the background (you know, behind the fireworks and little violins and things) he could vaguely hear James prowling the room in search of Sirius.

Remus found his hands moving of their own accord. They were tangling in Sirius' hair, and the raven-haired boy was leaning in closer, and closer… They didn't even notice James leaving the room.

Remus let go of the hands he was holding captive under his own, and his breathing grew heavier as did Sirius'. The two were enraptured with each other, and soon everything was blocked out save them.

"Remus?"

The two leapt apart from each other as though they'd been scalded, and Sirius ran hand through his hair, gazing at Remus earnestly.

"Gods…" he whispered.

Remus, too shaken up to do more than breath, started again as the voice interrupted them.

"Remus? Are you in there?"

"Evans." Remus said suddenly. "I mean, Lily. It sounds like her." When Sirius didn't say anything, still shaking his head, Remus carefully opened the trunk, just enough to be able to climb out without letting anyone else see inside. He shut it, and turned around.

"Right, now—IN MERLIN'S NAME!" Remus placed a hand over his heart as it started up quickly, and another over his face.

"Lily?" he said finally, and looked at what had caused him a near heart attack.

Lily Evans was perched on one of the beds in the dorms, Peter's. But she didn't look like a normal girl. Rather, she was small, and green, and only recognizable by her voice and the locks of red hair curling about her face. Lilly Evans—was a frog.

"Lily? Did Sirius do this to you?" Remus said softly, as he saw tears gathering in her (bulbous) eyes.

"I'll kill him! I swear I will!" she sobbed. "But oh, Remus, what am I supposed to do to get out of this form? I don't like Potter! I never ever did!"

Remus sighed and rubbed at his temples. Wonderful kisser that Sirius could be, he did make a little too much trouble. "Lily, I've seen this curs before. In fact, I sort of—taught it to Sirius. There's no other way! So you and James have to spend time together until both of you like each other, or wait until the spell wears off."

Lily instantly perked up. "It wears off? In how long?"

"Seven years." Remus smiled softly. "So it's not an option. But come on, Lily, it can't be that bad. Why is it that you hate Padfoot so much? He can be a bit of a narcissistic prat at times, but he's really a good guy."

Lily looked like she was trying her hardest not to break out into tears. "Remus—you wouldn't understand!"

The brown-haired boy shrugged and kneeled next to the bed. He picked her up and set her lightly down on the trunk at the foot of the bed. "Even if I don't, it'll be best for you to let it be known."

Lily closed her eyes, and Remus took this time to wipe his hand frantically on the sheets. When Lily opened her eyes, he was as calm as ever.

"James isn't all that bad." She admitted. "In fact, he's one of the nicest boys I've ever known, once you get past how he treats Severus and Jackson. I know they're Slytherins, and I really don't mind about Jackson, but Severus—he's just a little misguided, you know?"

"So what's so hard about liking James?" Remus offered.

"But that's the thing!" Lily's voice resonated anguish. "I do like James, even though I told myself I wouldn't! And oh, if he found out—!"

Remus was in shock for maybe all of three minutes before he shook himself and gave the Lily-Frog an awkward pat. "There, there, Lily. James wouldn't do much, besides snog you out of your senses. So come on, I'll take you to him. He's sulking in the kitchens."

"Oh, thank you so much, Remus!" Lily cried.

Remus felt a pang of guilt. He had only offered to take Lily down because he wasn't sure how Sirius was reacting to the kiss. The werewolf growled inwardly. Why did they have to get drunk?

"Remus?" He looked down and saw Lily looking at him curiously, so he offered her a smile, picked her up, and walked out of the room. The trip to the kitchens was mostly uneventful, as no one thought it weird that a student was carrying a frog.

That is, until Jackson came walking around the corner, his head held high and steam practically streaming from his nostrils. Behind him, Rock was trailing along, obviously more interested in something he'd found in his ear than what his boss was doing.

"Lupin." Jackson said, upon seeing them. He eyed the Lily-Frog carefully. "Is this Evans? I heard about what Black did to her. Marvelous trick for such an air headed pillock."

Remus snorted lightly. Sirius was anything but air headed. It was awful in the way that he abused his wit, but he was intelligent nonetheless.

"Nice to see someone's pricked your head to let the air out. Hopefully, some of your ego went with it too." He said quietly.

Jackson's face turned a brilliant shade of red, and now Remus could actually see the steam coming from his nostrils. He supposed it was because of the cold, but had his suspicions that it was a side effect of the earlier spell.

"You shouldn't talk about me like that." Jackson warned, and snapped his fingers. Rock flicked whatever it was he'd just discovered in his nose and that he was comparing to his ear's findings to snarl menacingly. While Lily cowered, Remus didn't even flinch.

"Jackson, you pompous arse, move. I have to go somewhere, and you're really not helping the situation. In a few moments, everyone is going to flood out from the Great Hall and their classes, and I'd rather you'd not be embarrassed so soon after the last incident."

"ROCK!" Jackson roared. The great hulking mammoth let out a mighty bellow and ran forward.

"1…2…3…" Remus counted under his breath. Then: "Four!" He moved aside and Rock went stumbling past him. Remus removed his wand from his robes and shook his head.

"Honestly, Solid, have you forgotten that you're a wizard? They're called wands, mate, you might want to use yours."

Rock nodded dumbly, before Jackson shot him a look. Rock whipped out his wand and once more charged, although this time he was readying himself for a curse—which never happened, because at that moment, Remus cried something out.

"_Eridai Mestinculus_!" Rock stopped suddenly, as his hands began to shrink. His feet followed them shortly after, and soon, his whole body had shrunken. But then his nose became pointier; his two front teeth grew larger, and he let out a frightened squeak.

Rock Solid was a mouse!

Around the same time, the doors to the Great Hall must have burst open, because a horde of students were clapping. Neither Remus nor Jackson had noticed their entrance, and while Remus let a soft smile creep over his face, Jackson sneered.

"_Jellaim Incradatta!_" Remus quickly leapt out of the way, but a student behind him wasn't so luck. Everyone watched as the poor child (he looked like s third year) stiffened, then twitched. His whole body suddenly stretched, and turned a bright, translucent pink. He looked like he was made of Jell-O.

Remus stifled a laugh. Now as not the time. It struck him as odd that he was so cheerful at the moment, but he shrugged it off as an after-effect of the kiss.

"_Eraltum Etedum!_" Jackson managed to launch a Protego charm, sending the spell towards (who else?) Peter Pettigrew. The boy's limbs seemed to cave in, and he collapsed in a puddle on the floor. "Damn." Remus swore quietly.

But Jackson was already launching more and more curses, as Remus scrambled to his feet and tried his best to escape and hang onto Lily at the same time. He always aimed directly for Jackson, but at every spell, something happened to send the curse awry.

"WHY WON'T YOU DIE!" He roared finally, upset to the point where many people shied away from him. No one would have had a problem believing anyone if they'd said at that moment that Remus was a werewolf.

Jackson had momentarily lost all power of speech, and Remus took the opportunity to cast a Tarantellegra curse on him. As Jackson danced on, Remus stupefied him and sighed.

"My God, some people never learn." The halls erupted into maddening applause, and as Remus pushed his way through the crowd, many people congratulated him on his superb hexes and for putting "That prat Jackson" down. Remus smiled good-naturedly and tried to head off to the kitchens, but he was already tickling the fruit bowl before he was alone.

""Geez, Remus, that was bloody brilliant!" Lily was beaming up at him, as best as she could in her frog form. Remus smiled back as they stepped through.

"No problem, Lily, but it wasn't all that big of a deal. He needed something to go through his thick skull."

"Rem?" James was sitting at a small table the house-elves must have conjured up, and his eyes were slightly glazed over. There was a plate of uneaten food in front of him, as well as a goblet of pumpkin juice.

"Hey there, Prongs." Remus greeted him. "I have someone here you might want to see, ok?"

James looked down to where Remus was looking, and his eyes instantly cleared. "Evans." He began fingering his hair nervously, as Remus walked over and placed the frog in his hands.

"She has a few things to tell you, mate." He winked at the both of them and backed slowly out of the room, feeling as though he didn't think he could stomach watching his best friend sucking face with a frog.

Remus was hard-pressed to sneak back into the common room, as it seemed everyone had heard about his escapade. He was a hero in their eyes, especially since some Ravenclaw had gotten wind of Jackson's condition from the nurse. She said he wasn't getting out anytime soon, not with the force of the curse, and even when he did he'd be muddled for a while.

After many more slaps on the back and words of congratulations, Remus trudged up the stairs to his dormitory and collapsed on the bed upon entering. He offered only a glance at the door and a flick of his wand before it was repaired, but then he shut his eyes and proceeded to fall asleep.

That is, until something tickled his nose. He blew on it, but the tickling became more insistent. Annoyed, Remus opened his eyes and glared in his I'm-A-Werewolf-So-Don't-Think-I-Can't-Kill-You way.

Sirius stared back at him, and blinked. "Remus, we need to talk."

The brown-haired boy mentally berated himself. He'd almost forgotten about the kiss! He pushed himself up and sat cross-legged on the bed.

"Yeah? What's up, Padfoot?"

Sirius Black never liked to show his emotions. But here, the confusion was evident on his face as he sat down and looked into his lap.

"Rem," he said abruptly. "I don't want to lead you wrong, so I'm telling you now. That kiss meant nothing to me, it was just—a heat of the moment thing, you know?"

Remus let out a little bewildered laugh, but when he saw how stoic Sirius looked, he masked his true feelings and nodded solemnly. "Of course. I didn't think anything of it, anyway. I'm sleepy now, g'night Padders."

Without another word, he lay down, flipped over, and closed his eyes. He waited until after Sirius had left to let himself cry.


	4. Angsty Marauders

Wow…it's been a while, hasn't it? Well…here it is…I know it's short, but bear with me.  


Disclaimer: How I wish Sirius with his long, black hair and rock-hard abs and—er, yes, well, I wish he was mine but he isn't.

* * *

"Hey, Remmie. Want to go to Hogsmeade with us?" James Potter looked down at one of his best friends in the world worriedly. Lily Evans, his new (and LONG sought for girlfriend) hovered behind him, watching anxiously).

Remus looked up from his book, his eyes flicking from face to face. "N thanks, James. I'm feeling ill." And he wasn't lying, either. The next night was a full moon.

James nodded uncertainly. "Yeah—yeah, sure. Maybe next time, then?" Remus nodded noncommittally, but James gripped his shoulder.

"Promise me, Remus." The brown-haired boy looked coolly up at his friend. "I'll try, James. But I can't promise you much."

Defeated, James walked out of the Common Room, Lily close behind him. She cast an anxious glance at the boy, all alone in the room, before she shut the portrait hole.

Remus sighed, closed his book and leaned back against the chair he was sitting on. He didn't dare venture outside, or to Hogsmeade. He, unlike Sirius and James, was unaccustomed to the horde of students throwing themselves at him in an attempt to have his godliness rub off on them.

He snorted lightly as he remembered how a Hufflepuff third year had actually tried to seduce him, to make her ex jealous.

The portrait hole suddenly swung open, and someone clambered in, cursing under their breath. Sirius turned around and started as he saw someone lying on the chair in front of the fireplace. He relaxed as he recognized the person, though.

"Re? Thank the Gods it's only you." Remus inclined his head slightly, as if to say maybe, just maybe, it would have been better if it hadn't only been him. "What are you reading?"

Remus glanced down at the book in his lap, but he couldn't make out the title. Sirius was already next to him, though, and he had stooped down to read it. An eyebrow quirked up. "_Battlefields Old and Ancient_? Gods, Moony, read something a bit less dreary, why don't you."

Remus doesn't say anything, but he looks down at his hands. If he looks up, he'll find himself tracing the soft curves of Sirius's lips, and his eyebrows and eyes and nose and cheeks and—

"Remmie?"

The werewolf flinches. He wasn't listening again. "Yeah?" His voice is soft, and slightly husky. Had he been looking up, he would have seen Sirius' body stiffen and his dark eyes waver.

"Why aren't you in Hogsmeade? I've just been kicked off for about two weeks. Snape snitched me out; about the Chizpurfles in the owlery, you know?"

Remus nods, but he still doesn't look up. The chair depresses next to him, and there's Sirius, looking worried as he sinks down. He lifts his friend's chin up with a hand. "What's wrong, Remus?"

Remus stands up, and his eyes are hard and blazing. "What's wrong is that you kissed me and left me! What's wrong is that you left your memory in my head, and the imprint of your lips on mine! What's wrong is that you gave me courage and took it away! What's wrong? What's wrong? You're wrong, Sirius."

"Remus?"

The brown-haired boy's eyes clear, startled. He hadn't said anything. Of course. He never says anything. "It's nothing. Just—full moon tomorrow, you know?"

Sirius nods, but there is a glimmer of unhappiness in his eyes. "Yeah. I know. But chin up, ok, Moony? It can only go uphill from here! I'm going to go find some cards. You wanna play Exploding Snaps?"

Remus nods and waits until Sirius has gone up to the boy's dorms before he lets the one tear run down his face. He wipes it away quickly, though, and drops the book onto the pillows. He can't show Sirius he cares.

He just can't.

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Wow. Angst-o-rama. But I like it, even though it's short. Next chapter, we pick up with the full moon…but guess who doesn't take their potion?  


	5. Driven Marauders

_Tomiko The Muse_: Yes, I'd like to think it was the lack thereof that makes Rem cry so much. But here he has a V.V. good reason to cry. _Captain Oz: _I was going to make it four parts!...but it branched out..._RemusLupinRocks: _I'd like to think Sirius is just as daft as Harry when it comes to liking people.

IssaLee: Say hello to the co-writers of this and every other fic I've written. At least, they help when they're in town which actually isn't often.

**Eelie: We have lives, Lee.**

_Nikki-chan: Sad as it may seem, it's true. You need to get up and leave!_

IssaLee: Thanks SOOOOO much for the support. (Insert sarcasm) But this reminds me, I'm going on vacation (To Vegas!) and this means late chapters for a while, maybe. Sorry!

Disclaimer: It's not mine, but God knows how many times I've wished it to be.

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Remus inclined his head slightly as he surveyed his room in the Shrieking Shack. It looked exactly as it had the last time he'd been in it; the furniture ripped and the walls scratched, remnants of his transformation.

The nurse had left a while back, leaving a vial of clear liquid on the armchair. It was still about fifteen until the moon appeared. Remus was to drink it now. (A/N: Remember, the Wolfsbane Potion wasn't invented in Remus' time, but I'd like to think there was another one that could at least keep him from breaking out of the Shack and so on.)

Remus picked up the vial and watched its contents swirl almost ominously. He hated this life; hated it, hated it, hated it. Maybe it would be better if he just _died_. Maybe that was why Sirius had rejected him. Who'd want a werewolf as a boyfriend? Lover's spats could turn deadly.

"Rem?" He turned, and saw James standing in the doorway. The Invisibility Cloak was knotted loosely around his body, so that some of him was showing, like his front, but others kept swirling out of view.

"James, you shouldn't be here!" Remus said sharply. "I haven't taken my potion yet and you aren't in your Animagus form!" James shrugged nonchalantly.

"You've not hurt me in my Animagus form, and besides the looks, what else has changed in me when I'm a stag?" Then his face became serious. "Listen, Moony, I want to know what's going on. You've been so distant lately, and it's scaring all of us."

Remus bit his lip. "Padfoot doesn't seem so worried. He's been going on just fine with his life," he pointed out. But James shook his head, mussing up his hair as he did so.

"Sirius is weirder than ever. Listen, he hasn't been on a date in almost a month!" When Remus didn't say anything, James smiled. "That's a bad thing, by the way. He's usually always out with one girl or another, and sometimes he doesn't have a girlfriend and just find someone to bring to his bed. But he hasn't even done that!"

Remus felt a flicker of something in his chest; hope, maybe, but he quashed it as quickly as it came. "Maybe he's ill."

James snorted. "Yeah, ill in his head. And did you notice the way he's been acting around you? He was all jumpy for a few weeks, and then afterward he was suddenly glaring at all those people who were congratulating you about that fight with Jackson. Did you guys have a fight about that or something?"

Remus blushed, as he remembered the kiss. "Er—yeah, sort of. But maybe he's just jealous?" James shook his head again.

"I've seen him get jealous. He's as bad as Jackson, then, but now he's just surly and he keeps it from you, Rem." James took a step forward, somewhat uncertainly. "Remus, I've seen the way you look at him—and he looks at you the same way."

"What?" Remus suddenly found it hard to breath, and a pounding headache took over. Air was rushing into his ears. "What, Prongs?"

James threw the Invisibility Cloak about himself. Remus heard the raven-haired boy's voice cut through the air. "I'll be back with the others, they're just outside the Whomping Willow. Think about it, Moony!"

Remus staggered back, clutching at his head. He could feel his ribs moving as they turned into the wolf's; feel the primal instinct to howl. With the last of his human mind, he grasped that he had to take the potion, and reached out for it. A violent spasm made him crumbled, and the vial teetered for a moment on the armchair before falling and breaking with a tiny, crystalline sound.

Remus almost screamed in frustration as the liquid immediately disappeared. But he did scream, then, as pain wrought every bone in his body. There was a noise out by the door and he could tell that James was probably bringing the others to a standstill under the cloak. He'd made them promise never to look as he transformed.

Never, ever.

Remus gasped for breath as the pain racked his bones, making his breath hitch every few moments. His vision was fading fast, and as he slid slowly to the brink of unconsciousness, the wolf inside him suddenly let out a growl that found its way to his own lips, followed by a whimper.

"Hang in there, Moony!"

The brown-haired boy struggled to open his eyes, which were now narrowing and turning yellow. He recognized tha voice, and as he lost control and plunged into the darkness that was his solace during these times, he managed a smile for Sirius.

The three Marauders shuffled nervously as James removed the Invisibility Cloak and folded it, then placed it in a crevice in the wall. In a moment, the great stag was standing in his place, pawing at the ground. Sirius took the hint and dropped to all fours, shaking himself, as he became the Grim-like dog. Plot Point—er, Peter scuttled behind the two, twitching already, as he became a rat.

(A/N: Switching here to the nicknames for the Marauders, as it makes a bit more sense when they're in their animal forms.)

Prongs pushed the door open with his antlers, stepping in an arc around the room with the other two behind him. Padfoot broke the line suddenly, rushing forward to nose the wolf that was shivering slightly from its spot on the floor.

Moony raised his eyes, heavy-lidded, and growled softly. He wasn't used to transformations without his potions; he hadn't gone through one in such a long time, it was hard for him to even be a proper werewolf.

The shaggy dog whimpered as he pawed the wolf's body, and the stag approached cautiously, never missing the interactions between the two. Prongs broke the silence with a bugle that obviously said, "Ready for a run?"

Padfoot and Prongs helped Moony up as Wormtail scurried ahead to stop the Whomping Willow killing them. The three made it out safely and as soon as Moony felt the full force of the moon, he lost all inhibitions and let out a loud howl.

Padfoot let out a bark that could have been laughter, and without another word, took off running toward the Forbidden Forest. Moony, now fully in werewolf mode, narrowed his eyes and immediately ran off after him, Prongs keeping a swift pace just far enough so that the werewolf couldn't see.

Wormtail made a little snuffling noise. He couldn't run so fast as to keep up with the others. With a small (but relieved) sigh, he crept away, hoping to find some truffles before had to come back and freeze the willow again.

Padfoot suddenly found himself running much faster than he had intended to, stumbling past roots and trunks and such as the werewolf behind him snapped at his heels. With a few well-placed barks, Padfoot could throw him off, but something was terribly, desperately wrong.

_Oh, Gods, Remus. What's going on? Did you—_

And suddenly, he remembered the crash they had heard as they stood outside the door. He had looked inside from under the Cloak, and seen the vial and liquid dissipating, but he hadn't managed to make the connection. The dog turned suddenly, took a flying leap over the wolf, and headed for the stag.

Sirius was suddenly standing in front of the magnificent beast, panting. "James, we have a problem. He didn't take his potion!" there was a low growl, and without thinking, Prongs threw himself in front of Sirius. The werewolf's claws ended up scratching at his side instead, just as a great black dog bounded up.

It barked, and Prongs let out a low note as he watched his two best friends twist away through the trees, and transformed back into James. The boy clutched at his side, which was bleeding, and muttered a healing spell. The wounds closed, but fresh pink scars lingered.

"Oh, be careful," he whispered, throwing caution to the winds and stumbling out of the woods.

Padfoot's legs locked and he stopped, his great black eyes watching the form leap above him, then spin and turn, but he was already running, his heart in his throat. He was tired, though, and knew he couldn't keep running for long. Why hadn't Moony taken his potion? What had made him forget such an important thing?

Something knocked the wind from him, and shivering, he saw it was just a stray unicorn foal, blinking steadily at him, its golden hide shining in the moonlight. The foal nudged him, and he felt cool water on his back. Before he could try to lift himself up, the unicorn had pushed him completely in the water, or whatever it was.

Padfoot gasped, opening his mouth to let the water in. He tried to swim upward, but he found he couldn't move his paws. The foal was still staring at him from above water, and he bared his teeth at it.

The creature flicked its ears, then disappeared. Padfoot, feeling a sudden surge of anger, kicked with all his might and suddenly found himself at the surface of the water. Gasping and choking, he transformed back into Sirius and crawled onto shore.

Sirius glanced a look at the sky, and was rewarded with only a sliver of moon. It was setting, but only seconds ago, it had been dusk! Remus would be close to the point of being normal by now.

Sirius sighed and began to wring out his clothes, when he heard twigs cracking behind him. "Oh, you stupid beast," he said, expecting to see the unicorn as he turned. Instead, he found himself facing a growling wolf, its eyes shining brightly but with a bloodlust that scared all hell out of Sirius.

"Moony! Remmie, stop it!" The wolf placed both of its paws against Sirius' chest, pushing him down against the water. With a low moan, Sirius closed his eyes.

"Remus…" He whispered. The wolf actually stopped growling, and cocked its head to the side. Moony lowered his head towards Sirius, eyes wide. The cold nose of the wolf was touching the slightly wet one of the boy, and there was a sudden darkness in the forest. The last of the moon disappeared, but Sirius didn't notice it.

Not until something wet fell onto his eye.

Sirius opened his eyes, and found a shivering Remus staring back at him. The brown-haired boy was crying openly, and he lifted a shaking hand to stroke Sirius' cheek. "Oh, Gods. I almost killed you!"

Sirius sat up, taking Remus with him and holding him in his arms. "Hey, but you stopped, didn't you?" But Remus only cried harder, and with a sudden determination, Sirius lifted up the boy and started walking. No protests came, and when he reached the edge of the forest, there was James, tapping his foot impatiently as he consulted a watch. Peter was perched on the rock next to him, not looking particularly upset.

When James saw them, he rushed forward and immediately started off on a babble of questions. Sirius answered them as quickly as he could, but then he refused point-blank to answer any more.

"We need to get him to rest. He's had a long night, and I'm sure someone will be in to check on him this morning and heal any of his wounds." James nodded somewhat reluctantly, and they trudged back to the Whomping Willow. Peter transformed, slipped in, and they followed.

Sirius laid Remus in the chair, who was still shaking although he had stopped crying a while back. James sensed something big was happening, and poked Peter.

"Wormtail, let's go keep watch," he said quietly.

"But why?" Peter whined. "Sirius isn't coming! And we've never, ever had to keep watch before! Why now? Are you—OW!" James grabbed Peter by the ear and dragged the boy outside, where they could hear him berating the boy.

Remus shook his head and spoke, his voice hoarse. "What friends I have." He looked down at his hands. "If you're still my friend, that is."

Sirius let out a laugh. "Please, Re. There's nothing you could do short of telling me you don't want to be friends with me that would make me stop being friends with you."

"But I almost killed you!" Remus' voice was strained. "And Siri, if I had, I don't know if I could have gone on. I don't want to lose you, Padders."

Sirius studied his friend for a moment. The brown hair ad been curly once, he was sure of it. But now, it was only slightly wavy and limp in some places, evidence of Remus' monthly struggle.

"Hey," he said suddenly. Remus looked up. "Are you sure you're not a girl, Rem? I'm getting suspicious every time James asks you if it's that time of month again. PMS—Post-Moon Syndrome."

There was a long pause, before Remus suddenly bit half of his bottom lip (Sirius couldn't help thinking that this looked very much adorable) and then burst out in laughter. James peeked around the door, surprised at the sudden change of mood, but shrugged it off as he saw Sirius grinning widely and Remus laughing.

If there was anyone—anyone at all who could make Remus feel as normal as they thought him, it was Sirius Black.

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End file.
